Left-armer ran through England again but just how much will Australia regret not selecting their premium spinner at the Gabba?
In the end it was Mitchell Starc saving the day in the second Ashes Test as he did the first. In a series supposed to be defined by Australia’s fast-bowling Big Three, he has done the work as the sole member to make the starting line. With one English wicket left to fall and his tally on six for 46, he was on the brink of the remarkable feat of recording career-best figures for the fourth time in less than 12 months. Joe Root and Jofra Archer swung a few runs away to void that statistical note, but it was still another day (and night) of heavy lifting for the man who so far in this series has carried Australia’s burden.
Having passed Harbhajan Singh’s 417 Test wickets in the process Starc, who ended day one with figures of six for 71, is now in the top 15 wicket-takers on the Test all-time list, but the more significant milestone from the overtaking lane was the 414 of Wasim Akram, making Starc the most prolific left-arm quick of all. Until now Wasim has been uncontested as the greatest of his ilk, but with time yet ahead of Starc, the Australian can now make an argument of it. He may average three more runs per wicket, but has needed eight fewer deliveries to take each one, and his recent vintage years have both of those numbers moving in the right direction.
The Sixers downgraded Paul George to out Thursday ahead of their evening meeting with the Warriors at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
George had initially been listed as questionable with a “left knee injury recovery” designation. After facing Golden State, the Sixers will conclude their back-to-back by visiting the Bucks.
Since returning from offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, George has played six times. He logged 18 minutes Tuesday in the Sixers’ blowout win over the Wizards and had 11 points and five rebounds. George’s season high in minutes is 28.
“It’s getting there,” he said. “I’ve just got to get my legs under me. I just feel like my legs aren’t as strong as they need to be. … I kind of feel the training camp legs a little bit; it’s my training camp, the first couple games. … Just a little fatigued for some reason.”
The Sixers upgraded Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery; right knee injury recovery) from doubtful to questionable. Quentin Grimes (right calf tightness) went from questionable to available.
Embiid was present at the Sixers’ morning shootaround and wore a blue practice jersey. He returned from a nine-game absence with a right knee injury Sunday and scored 18 points in the Sixers’ double-overtime defeat to the Hawks.
Warriors star Stephen Curry is out with a left quadriceps injury. Former Sixer De’Anthony Melton is slated to come back from a torn ACL and make his season debut. As of early Thursday afternoon, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post were all listed as questionable on Golden State’s injury report.
A contentious $1.13bn AFL stadium has been given the official tick of approval by Tasmania’s parliament to pave the way for the Devils to enter the AFL and AFLW.
The 23,000-seat roofed venue at Macquarie Point was voted through the island state’s upper house of parliament at 11pm on Thursday following two days of debate.
Detroit comes into Columbus having gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and are losers of 4 of their last 5. They did win their last game against the Bruins on Tuesday, however.
The Red Wings beat the Jackets back on November 22nd when Columbus blew a 3-1 third-period lead. They then lost the game 1:50 into the overtime period.
The Blue Jackets last game was a win on Monday night in New Jersey. It was a spirited game that saw four fights and 74 combined penalty minutes. The Jackets went down 2-0 in the first three minutes of the game but battled back by scoring three times in the third period to upend the Devils. It was a game that everybody wanted to see - A game that saw them battle back and keep a third period lead for the win.
The Jackets currently sit 8th in the Metro, 13th in the East, and 19th in the NHL.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 16.4% - 23rd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 74.2% - 28th in the NHL
Goals For - 75 - 24th in the NHL
Goals Against - 84 - 20th in the NHL
Red Wings Stats
Power Play - 21.6% - 11th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 79.5% - 23rd in the NHL
Goals For - 80 - 14th in the NHL
Goals Against - 92 - 28th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheRed Wings
Columbus is 48-52-1-15 all-time, and 27-24-1-7 at home vs. Detroit.
The CBJ are 2-1-2 in the last 5 against the Red Wings.
The Jackets are 29-13-5 in the last 47 games.
Who To Watch For TheRed Wings
Patrick Kane has 88 points in 65 career games against Columbus.
Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings with 14 goals and 30 points.
Lucas Raymond leads the team with 20 assists.
Goalie Cam Talbot is 9-4-1 with a .888 SV%. His last start was on November 29th.
John Gibson is 5-7-1 with a SV % of .868. His last start was on December 2nd against the Boston Bruins.
CBJ Player Notes vs.Red Wings
Zach Werenski has 22 points in 26 career games against Detroit.
Charlie Coyle has 14 points in 31 games.
Sean Monahan has 17 points in 22 games vs. the Red Wings.
Injuries
Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 18 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 10 Games - IR - Could return this week
Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 3 Games - IR- No timeline for a return
Kirill Marchenko - Lower Body - Missed 4 Games - Day to day
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 47
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on ESPN+ & HULU. John Buccigross will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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After a disappointing loss against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, Martin St-Louis decided to go back to the drawing board for the second game of the back-to-back, and it was with different lines that his Montreal Canadiens took on the Winnipeg Jets. Before puck drop, the organization took the time to honour former blueliner Andrei Markov, a man who bled red, white and blue, but we’ll discuss this in a separate article.
Unimpressed by his team’s defensive play against Ottawa, the coach felt it was time to make some adjustments to maximize his chances of having effective five-man units on the ice at all times. Juraj Slafkovsky was back with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, while Zachary Bolduc went from the top line to the fourth one. As for Brendan Gallagher, he was back with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson, while Alexandre Texier got a first top-six look. As for Florian Xhekaj, he made way for Jared Davidson, who completed a line with Joe Veleno and the aforementioned Bolduc.
Jakub Dobes was back in the net on Wednesday night, and the way he handles himself between the pipes is quite different from that of Samuel Montembeault. He’s clearly more confident and moving much better. Even if it’s not always elegant, his desperation dive to one side after colliding with Jonathan Toews was spectacular. While he arrived before the shot, he still managed to recover and freeze the puck when it fell in the crease.
His glove hand is sharp, and he doesn’t have the same issue as the Becancour native when it comes to long-range shots. His puck tracking was also excellent, and he doesn’t end up on the wrong side of wraparounds.
In the first frame, he stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced, and the one that went in came from yet another defensive breakdown. Mark Scheifele walked right into the slot with nobody even attempting to cover him. He had all the time in the world to pick his spot to beat the Czech goalie.
Throughout the game, he made multiple saves, including some key ones late in the third and in overtime, before not allowing a single goal in the shootout. He did everything he could tonight, and he’s a massive part of the reason why the Canadiens skated away with the two points. It's also worth mentioning that he communicates with his player very well, whenever a defenseman was pinching and no one was going back to cover for him, you could hear Dobes smacking the ice with his stick until the situation was corrected.
For the first time in what felt like forever, the Canadiens actually finished the second frame with a positive differential, scoring two goals and only allowing one. That’s not to say it was a perfect frame, though. The young Habs are still prone to panic when things go awry, for instance, when they had to defend with one less stick, the Jets knew precisely how to take advantage, passing the puck around until they were dizzy to take a temporary 2-1 lead.
But, still, there were more good than bad plays in the middle frame; the power play only needed less than 30 seconds to score the Habs’ first goal of the game, thanks to a perfect tic-tac-toe passing play completed by Slafkovsky.
As for the second goal, it was achieved thanks to Demidov’s combativeness. He chased the puck that was sent in deep by his linemate, battled hard with Josh Morrissey, outmuscled him and sent a perfect pass to Kapanen, who sent in a one-timer. It wasn’t the first fantastic set-up done by Demidov, but he finally converted on that one. With his eighth goal of the season, the Finnish forward rejoins Matthew Schaefer as the joint leader in goals scored amongst rookies. Meanwhile, the pass allows Demidov to join Beckett Senecke in the rookie scoring race and to reclaim sole lead in assists.
That build-up didn’t go unnoticed by the coach, who said:
When he’s involved physically, winning a battle, that’s a situation where you need to use your body, and he’s good at using his edges when there’s not a lot of space and to use a bit of physicality. If you want to produce in this league, you’ve got to be involved physically; you can’t be afraid of robust play.
- St-Louis on Demidov
Tonight, the young Russian spent 19:29 on the ice, by far the most ice time he has ever had, and he thrived with the added time. You can’t rush a young player’s development, but at the same time, it’s apparent that he’s so much further along than Slafkovsky was in his first season; it’s impressive to see.
After being criticized by some outlets for not fighting Kurtis MacDermid in Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Arber Xhekaj dropped the gloves on Wednesday and took on Jets’ captain Adam Lowry. If the gritty defenseman has had trouble with winning his fights lately, it wasn’t the case tonight as he easily won the decision and skated away while pumping up the crowd.
He was still the blueliner St-Louis used the least, playing 13:41, but he had a solid game:
He played a good game, just like he did in the last game. That’s what we want, for him to give us quality minutes. When he does that, it forces us to give him more minutes. I’m happy with his game, and the fights and that, that’s his job, and it’s not an easy one, but he did it very well.
- St-Louis on Arber Xhekaj
This 3-2 shootout win will be great for the Canadiens’ collective confidence, but also for Dobes, who really stood out. With another back-to-back on the horizon this weekend, it will be interesting to see which goaltender gets to play the Maple Leafs in Toronto and who will take on the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre on Sunday.
The longest homestand of the season is not going particularly well for the Florida Panthers.
Over the past week, Florida has dropped each of the first three matchups on their season-long six game homestand, one that continues on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.
When adding the Cats’ 6-3 loss to Edmonton that occurred a couple weeks ago to the mix, the Panthers home losing streak is stretched out each of their past four games.
It’s a less-than-ideal situation considering Florida is already navigating the season without a plethora of key players, including captain Sasha Barkov, emotional leader Matthew Tkachuk, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forwards Eetu Luostarinen, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt.
Entering play on Thursday, the Panthers are in the unfamiliar spot of dead last in the Eastern Conference.
Florida holds a 12-12-1 record through 25 games, sitting five points back of third place in the Atlantic Division and six points behind the second Wild Card spot.
The longer it takes for the Cats to snap back into gear, the more difficult it will be for them to leapfrog half the conference to climb back into a postseason position.
One positive for the Panthers is that they should have Carter Verhaeghe back in the lineup after he missed Tuesday’s loss to Toronto to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
Another plus is that Florida will be playing Nashville, one of the three Western Conference clubs with less points than the Panthers.
This will be the second and final meeting between the Cats and Preds this season following Florida’s 8-3 dismantling of Nashville last Monday.
We’ll see if Florida can recapture some of the moxie they showed that night when the two teams lock horns Thursday in Sunrise.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s party with the Predators:
Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Photo caption: Nov 24, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango (6) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)
Fernando Valenzuela brought many new fans, young and old, to baseball. (Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times)
In 2023, the Dodgers finally retired the number 34, worn with distinction by Fernando Valenzuela. It had been 42 years since the season of Fernandomania, 26 years since Valenzuela last threw a pitch in the major leagues.
Better late than never. The Dodgers generally do not retire the numbers of players not selected for the Hall of Fame, but it is never too late to do the right thing.
On Sunday, a committee is set to vote on whether Valenzuela should be admitted to the Hall of Fame. To the committee members: We commend Valenzuela to you with that same adage — it is never too late to do the right thing.
“He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” said longtime Dodgers broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, himself a Hall of Famer.
“The Hall of Fame is a special, special place, of course. But, what Fernando did for baseball, very few have done.”
Eight players are on the ballot, given a second chance at Cooperstown after the Baseball Writers Assn. of America passed on them all: Valenzuela, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and Gary Sheffield.
The 16-person committee includes seven Hall of Famers, two owners (the Angels’ Arte Moreno is one), four former general managers, two writers and one statistician. Each committee member can vote for up to three players; 12 votes are required for election.
Still, of the 90 pitchers in the Hall, according to Baseball Reference, Valenzuela had a better earned-run average (3.54) than 11 of them. One of them, Jack Morris, had a 3.90 ERA. He was elected by a committee just like the one that will consider Valenzuela.
Morris was a workhorse and five-time All-Star best known for one game: a 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. But Valenzuela, a workhorse, Cy Young Award winner and six-time All-Star, threw a 147-pitch complete game in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series, with the Dodgers at risk of losing the first three games of the series. The career postseason ERA for Valenzuela: 1.98. For Morris: 3.80.
If you’re evaluating Valenzuela on the numbers alone, you’re missing half the story, and the legacy of a player that transformed a city and a sport.
The Dodgers built their stadium on land that was previously home to three Latino neighborhoods. The city of Los Angeles had envisioned grand housing projects there and kicked out the residents, long before the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn. The projects never were built, but many Latinos considered the destruction of the neighborhoods and removal of the residents as something of the Dodgers’ original sin and vowed never to set foot inside Dodger Stadium.
Until 1981, that is, when a shy, modestly pudgy and virtually anonymous Mexican 20-year-old showed up, looked to the heavens before every pitch, and started his rookie season with eight consecutive victories, including seven complete games and five shutouts.
Shohei Ohtani lures baseball fans from everywhere. Valenzuela lured humans from everywhere.
“People who hadn’t really thought about baseball, or Dodger Stadium,” said Peter O’Malley, who became the Dodgers’ president in 1970 and then owner from 1979-1998. “Suddenly, they were coming. They were flying from all over to see him.
Fernando Valenzuela looks up before throwing a pitch. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Los Angeles Times)
“He captured the imagination of everyone. It was the most exciting time for me on my watch.”
If they didn’t come to Dodger Stadium, they came to see him somewhere else. President Reagan invited Valenzuela to a White House event with the president of Mexico.
“He was able to create such interest in baseball — not only in the Dodgers, but baseball in general,” Jarrín said. “In St. Louis. In Atlanta. In New York. In Chicago. They went wild when Fernando was throwing — 10,000 extra people at the ballpark when he was pitching.”
The Dodgers hurriedly set up a radio network in Mexico, so Jarrín’s broadcasts of Valenzuela’s games could be heard south of the border.
And talk about bringing the city together: In Los Angeles, half the television sets in use were tuned to a Valenzuela start on one Friday night, 60% on one Sunday, The Times reported.
“It was like watching the pope,” actor Danny Trejo said in the Times’ 12-part Fernandomania @ 40 documentary series. It’s worth watching, especially if you are one of the committee members voting Sunday.
The series did not focus on interviews with players, or with fans. Valenzuela’s impact on the community was told largely through the words of a playwright, a filmmaker, a historian, an actor, a singer, a songwriter, and a mayor.
Said O’Malley: “He has never gotten the credit he deserves for the impact he made on baseball — not just on the Dodger organization, but on Mexican baseball, international baseball, and the community.”
Valenzuela belongs in the Hall of Fame because his legacy outlasted his career.
The Dodgers did not draw 3 million fans in any of their first 20 years in Los Angeles. They drew 3.6 million in Valenzuela’s first full season, 3.5 million in his second, and now 3 million is a disappointment rather than an aspiration.
Jarrín said the Dodgers’ Latino fan base had grown from “8, 9, 10%” when he started calling their games in 1959 to close to 50% now.
And, when Valenzuela debuted, O’Malley said international baseball was “a nonexistent subject” in league meetings. In the wake of a World Series that set record ratings in Canada and Japan, and in anticipation of the World Baseball Classic three months away, Valenzuela’s election to the Hall of Fame would be not only worthy but entirely fitting.
Fernando Valenzuela in 1982. (George Rose / Los Angeles Times)
The Hall of Fame includes players born in Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands and Venezuela.
Valenzuela would be the first player from Mexico. The Hall of Fame’s motto: “Preserving history, honoring excellence, connecting generations.” Who better fits?
“A whole nation is very aware of the Hall of Fame,” Jarrín said. “I’m sure they would declare a holy day on the day Fernando gets in.”
But after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, began conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the nine-time NBA All-Star’s future with the organization, how could you not?
Just in: Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis have started conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP's future – and discussing whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere, sources tell ESPN. A resolution is expected in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/NfrpL2Ffvr
ESPN did a deep dive into five potential deals Milwaukee could pursue, with a Giannis-to-the-Warriors package included amongst the bunch. But what would Golden State have to give up to possibly acquire the Greek Freak?
The proposal includes the Warriors getting Giannis and his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks receiving Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and multiple first-round draft picks (2026, 2028, 2030, 2032).
“This would be a Hail Mary trade for both teams.
“Milwaukee could give Kuminga plenty of runway to see if he’s a long-term keeper and reroute Green — a proven winner and still elite defender — to a contender and extract the maximal pick package from Golden State, hoping that some of those outlying picks could be extremely lucrative once Stephen Curry retires.
“For the Warriors, a blockbuster trade would represent an attempt to break out of the funk that has plagued them this season. Adding Antetokounmpo would be a supercharged version of last season’s trade for Jimmy Butler III and create a championship-caliber core, potentially with enough depth behind that star trio to scare the Thunder and the West’s best teams.
“Except for a partially protected pick they owe to the Wizards in 2030, the Warriors still possess all of their future first-rounders. They need to decide whether they’re holding onto those picks to build for a post-Curry future, or whether they want to go all-in to pry open Curry’s championship window one final time,” ESPN insider Zach Kram wrote.
Green, of course, has spent his entire NBA career with the Warriors, anchoring the defense and guiding the team to four NBA championships. His partnership with Steph Curry has been one of the best in recent history, but some things don’t last forever.
Regarding Kuminga, who ended a months-long contract stalemate with Golden State this past offseason before ultimately agreeing to a two-year deal to remain with the team, a split from the Warriors seems likely — whether that’s in the coming months or years.
Throughout his 13-year career, Antetokounmpo has averaged 24 points on an efficient 55.2 percent shooting, with 10.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game.
Other potential trade suitors included in ESPN’s article included the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
New Celtic manager may not be a big name but he won over the US league with leadership style and attractive football
Other managers won more in Major League Soccer than Wilfried Nancy. Bruce Arena, say, certainly has a fuller trophy cabinet. Nancy, however, lifted more than just trophies. He lifted standards. At Columbus Crew, he set a benchmark for the rest, showing what was possible even with limited resources. Columbus didn’t have Lionel Messi or Son Heung-min, but they had Nancy as head coach, and that was often enough.
For the past three seasons, the Crew have been the most dynamic, boundary-pushing team in MLS. Nancy’s CF Montreal team weren’t bad either, establishing the style of play that would come to be known as Nancyball. He changed MLS’s managerial landscape for ever. It was only a matter of time until a call came from Europe.
The Boston Bruins have exceeded expectations to this point in the 2025-26 NHL season. Many experts and analytics models predicted the B’s would miss the playoffs for the second year in a row and possibly even finish among the bottom 10 teams again.
While that scenario could still play out, making the playoffs is actually a realistic goal for this group.
The Bruins are one of three teams tied for third place in the Atlantic Division. The early-season struggles of the Toronto Maple Leafs and two-time defending champion Florida Panthers have made the division race pretty competitive. First place and sixth place are separated by just seven points as of Thursday morning.
If the Bruins are going to remain in the playoff race until the end, there are a couple things that must improve ASAP, and one of them is overall team defense.
The Bruins are making their goaltenders’ jobs much tougher than it needs to be with the way they’re defending.
For example, the Bruins have allowed the most shot attempts (1474) of any team at even strength. They’ve also given up the fifth-most shots on net (667), the fourth-most high-danger chances (300) and the second-most scoring chances (696) at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.
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Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit was a good example of Boston’s lackluster defense.
The B’s allowed 31 scoring chances at even strength, their fifth-highest in any game this season. They also allowed 13 high-danger chances during even strength play, and the Red Wings scored on three of them. It was a particularly tough game for veteran defenseman Andrew Peeke.
So if the Bruins are defending so poorly, how are they still in the playoff race?
Well, their special teams have been strong. They have the sixth-best power play and the eighth-best penalty kill.
Jeremy Swayman also has improved a lot after his disappointing 2024-25 campaign. The star goaltender went 8-2-0 with a .935 save percentage in November.
He also ranks No. 2 among all goalies with 17.1 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. He has given up 50 goals with an expected goals against of 67.1 through 18 appearances. This means he’s bailing out a lot of the defensive mistakes that the Bruins are making in front of him.
Swayman didn’t play well Tuesday against the Red Wings, but overall, he’s been one of Boston’s top players.
The loss of Charlie McAvoy is a tough setback for the Bruins’ defense. He’s an elite top-pairing defenseman who plays in all situations. Henri Jokiharju also missed Tuesday’s game, and Mike Callahan left in the first period with a lower body injury. But even with these injuries, the Bruins should not be this bad defensively.
The Bruins have been better offensively than expected and currently rank 11th in even-strength goals, in addition to their top-six power play. They are also getting a bounce-back season from Swayman. Many of the ingredients for a playoff push are present, but the defense must improve or the losses could start to pile up.
One quarter of the way through the 2025-26 NBA season, it’s time to reset expectations for the Boston Celtics.
Over a span of 10 days, the Celtics have posted wins over Orlando, Detroit, Cleveland, and New York — the four betting favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference. Half of Boston’s 12 total wins have come against those four teams.
The East is a cluttered mess with no dominant frontrunner. The Raptors and Heat have lingered near the top of the conference while largely feasting on inferior opponents. The Celtics sit an unremarkable eighth in the East at the quarter mark, but that’s due in part to letting some wins slip away against the likes of Brooklyn, Utah and Philadelphia.
The Celtics are one of five teams withs seven or more wins against opponents with a .500 record or better. The others? West-leading Oklahoma City (7-0), East-leading Detroit (8-3), Denver (7-2) and Orlando (7-7).
Jaylen Brown is playing like an MVP candidate. Neemias Queta has one of the best on/off differentials in the entire league (a team-best +15.3). Jordan Walsh has been a game-changer since entrenching himself in the starting lineup with his grit and tenacity. The Celtics have the fourth-ranked offense in the entire league, even as Payton Pritchard and Derrick White struggle to find their typical shooting efficiencies.
Joe Mazzulla is pushing all the right buttons lately, and the Celtics are leaning into small-ball lineups that maximize their skill and versatility. Boston still needs to tighten up its rebounding, which has conspired against a defensive rating that sits in the back half to he NBA, but the Celtics rank seventh overall in halfcourt defense and simply have been gouged by putbacks.
That’s all our long-winded way of suggesting that the Celtics might be more in the mix in this mishmash East than most expected. Trade season officially opens in less than two weeks, and Brad Stevens might be more likely now to seek frontline help (we’ve spent hours in the Trade Machine trying to finagle a reacquisition of Robert Williams III) than sweat Boston’s bottom line.
It’s impossible to watch the glimpses of his on-court work via his Snapchat stories and not ponder Tatum’s possible return in the second half of the 2025-26 season. He may not be All-NBA Jayson Tatum at that point, and the Celtics will surely bring him along slowly if he does indeed return to game action, but his presence alone changes the ceiling of what’s possible this season.
Combine that with the continued evolution of this current roster, and it’s easy to be optimistic about where this team is trending.
Of course, all of this demands the Celtics stay healthy. Brown has played in all 21 games to start the new campaign despite entering the year with hamstring woes and navigating back spasms during the most recent stretch.
Outside of a Queta ankle sprain, the Celtics have had their core players available for much of the season. The margin for error this year is slim, even when this team is at full strength. A long-term injury to a core piece complicates matters in a hurry.
But the development of some of the youngest players, including Walsh and newcomers Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez, have positioned the Celtics well for the future. The C’s look like they have a stable of young wings who can be legitimate contributors on the next Boston title contender. And most have only scratched the surface of how good they can be — while playing on bargain deals.
Maybe that acceleration back to true title threat won’t happen until the 2026-27 season. Maybe Tatum needs to shake off rust and Stevens needs to make a few roster tweaks before Boston is ready for true title-chasing reentry.
But if you entered the season daydreaming about a potential lottery pick, it might be time to at least reconsider the benefits of Boston making a spirited playoff push, even if that lands the team more towards the middle of the 2026 NBA Draft order.
At the start of the season, we were probably more bullish than most on these Celtics, in part because it felt like there was simply too much talent here for them to slide back to the lottery pack. What’s more, the Stevens-era Celtics have long prioritized wins over draft position. A new owner surely yearns to win, too.
A lot still has to break right for these Celtics to stay competitive. Brown has shouldered a heavy burden, younger players can’t get complacent with their progress, and Mazzulla has to continue to maximize the pieces that are available.
But there’s also a clear pathway to being an East playoff disruptor. Even if the Celtics are a bit up and down on the journey to the postseason, no team is going to want to match up against them in April or May, particularly if Tatum is back on the floor.
There’s a lot of work ahead for the Celtics to truly inject themselves in that playoff mix. But how quickly the Celtics dusted themselves off from an 0-3 start and found the combinations that have made them competitive against the best in the East is encouraging.
Encouraging enough to alter the outlook of what’s possible this season.
SAN FRANCISCO — There’s never been a Major League manager with less experience than Tony Vitello, but the Giants are on the verge of adding another coach to his staff who will fill some of the gaps as he makes the transition from Tennessee to the big leagues.
During an appearance on KNBR on Thursday morning, general manager Zack Minasian confirmed a USA Today report that the organization is finalizing a deal with longtime coach and manager Ron Washington, giving Vitello another experienced voice, and giving the Giants one of the best infield coaches around.
Washington, 73, was most recently the manager in Anaheim, where Minasian’s brother is the general manager. He has 10 years of big league managing experience with the Angels and Texas Rangers and has been a coach for the Athletics and Atlanta Braves.
The Giants still are in the process of finalizing exact roles for their incoming coaches, and Minasian said it’s possible Washington gets in the mix as third base coach. But at the very least, he will coach up the infielders, and few have ever been better at that. With Washington and Ron Wotus in the organization, the Giants will have two of the most respected infield coaches in the industry.
Minasian said Washington’s name was brought up by Vitello, who is putting the finishing touches on his first big league staff. He also will lean on Jayce Tingler, who has been hired in a to-be-announced role. Tingler has previous big league managing experience, as well.
The Giants also have Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker on hand as advisors. Between those two, Washington and Wotus, and Tingler, there will be no shortage of experienced minds around to help Vitello navigate his first season. Minasian said the entire group will get together for the first time at next week’s Winter Meetings and the Giants hope to officially announce their hires in the coming days.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a first round pick for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2013 NBA draft [Getty Images]
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 despite losing the NBA's two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo to injury early in the match.
Antetokounmpo, 30, fell to the floor in the third minute and had to be helped off court by his team-mates.
The Bucks trailed by 18 points in the first quarter, but fought back at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum to claim just their second win in 10 games.
Kevin Porter Jr registered 26 points for the Bucks, with Ryan Rollins adding 22 and AJ Green scoring 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter to fuel the comeback.
"It was a hell of a win," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said.
"We get down early, miss wide open, great shots, but we just couldn't get anything to fall.
"And Giannis gets hurt... to fight back, it just shows a lot of stuff about this team."
Detroit remain top of the Eastern Conference after their fifth loss of the season, with Milwaukee sitting 10th.
The Bucks initially thought Antetokounmpo had strained his right calf, but are awaiting confirmation after the Greek power forward had an MRI scan.
Before the match, rumours had emerged via ESPN that Antetokounmpo was "mulling his future" with the franchise.
But Rivers said there had been "no conversations" about a possible trade.
Elsewhere, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined for 48 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers end a five-game losing streak with a 115-92 win at the Atlanta Hawks.
Jamal Murray scored a season-high 52 points as the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers 135-120 in Indianapolis.
